The Spy Who Loved Me
by King's Ranger
Summary: I remember the first moment I laid eyes on her. I remember our wedding. I remember the birth of our only child. I remember the day she died. I remember everything about her. She was beautiful, loving,kind, and funny. She was also brave, cunning, ruthless and deadly. Her enemies feared her and her friends revered her. She was The Spy Who Loved Me.
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHORS NOTE**

**This is the story of Madelyn Altman's husband. If you read the Royal Ranger(Book 12) you should know who Madelyn Altman is. If not this story will make very little sense to you and you probably should stop reading now. The story starts the day they meet and literally goes unto Maddie's death, and I plan on having her die a happy, peaceful death in her old age, so this will be a VERY LONG STORY. Of course this is first and foremost a love story, but do to its scope both in length of story and in length of time covered in the story (Which will be roughly 75 years). There will be side stories that are more like the adventures from the rangers apprentice that we all know and love such as the bit Nihon-Ja and the mission to destroy the Outsiders Cult. Side stories like this will make appearances in the story, and lots of them. They will very in length from as little as pages to possibly 100. That should give you an idea how long this story will be. This story while being of a serious nature is going to have parts that are funny, and happy. It will NEVER become anyhting even resembling a soap opera. I promise you that.**

**AUTHORS NOTE ON CANON**

**You may be asking how cannon are we? The answer is this; When it comes to anything directly involved with the plot of the book, or about characters background/personality/characteristics (I call this J canon or John canon) I will follow it exactly doing my best to never deviate. On the other hand when it comes to things like the various cultures he has created or geography, (I call this W canon or World Canon) I may take a bit more liberty to both change and add details. Don't worry, I won't change things too much. The Skandians will still be the Skandians we all know and love. The same with the Araluens, Arridi and every other country. The main reason I a changing things is to make it more historically, and culturally accurate. Examples of changes I am making are, in the books the Arridi were pagans, but they were also based of of the Arabs and North Africans. Because of this I am making them Muslims(or Muslin in the story) like in real life, although with a few Christians mixed in. I am also putting women in the position of subservience and near slavery that women really have in Arabia. The women will also dress like real arab women, covering every bit of skin except for their hands and eyes and wearing all black. The changes to Arrida might be the most significant. Other changes are I have taken away the taboo of kids drinking alchohol because that is highly historically inaccurate. I am also going to be taking away the modern dating aspects of the books. While there will be kids in romantic relationships it won't be the way it is today. It will be more realistic. In addition I am going to make it so that arranged marriages happen like they really did, although by no means every marriage will be arranged. Also I am going to make it acceptable and even common for characters to get married as young as 14, and with the Arridi as young as 11. I know a lot of people might be highly offended by these changed, but they are the way the world really was historically. Plus its my story and I can right what I want. If you don't want to read it because of this then just don't.**

**AUTHORS NOTE ON TITLE**

**Many people may be wondering about the title of my story. The "Spy" obviously is refering to Maddie. 'But why did you call her a spy', you may be wondering. The reason is this, The Araluen Ranger Corps is essentially a medieval intelligence agency, just like the CIA,MI6,KJB and Mossad. Alot of people don't see this and think the rangers are more like the Jedi from Star Wars but there wrong. The descriptions John Flanagan gives of the rangers, and the types of operations, or 'missions' he describes them going on are most identical to what you would expect of the CIA, MI6, Mossad, or KGB. The Parallels are nearly endless. Also John Flanagan even calls the Ranger Corps an intelligence agency when Halt refers to them as an "intelligence force' in the Ruins of Gorlan( book 1).**

**With all that said happy reading and PLEASE REVIEW!**

_**RANGER'S APPRENTICE**_

_**THE SPY WHO LOVED ME**_

The road has been long and hard. We have been walking for several hours, and I'm exhausted. We have been on the road for five days, and before that we were at sea for nearly three weeks. I know we are almost there, almost to our new home. I think I heard it was called Wensley, when we were at the port. We have nothing with us, other than the bare essentials. We have no horses, we could never have afforded one anyway. We have no weapons other than a couple of daggers. Everything we have is what we could carry on our backs, not that we had that much more to begin with. We do on the other hand have a small amount of gold with us. I say a small amount, but in truth it's the most we have ever had at one time, and my Baba worked harder than I would have thought possible to get it. My Faba is leading our mule, on a rope behind us. We brought him on this trip largely because we have had him for years and didn't want to leave him behind. My Baba is in front of me leading the way. He is eager to arrive in Wensley. This land, Araluen it's called, is a gift to us. It's our chance at a new start. I promise myself I won't squander this chance that Baba worked so hard that I would have. He says in Araluen they make accommodations for the poor. They have schools where we can become educated. In my country only the wealthy become educated. Many of my countrymen are illiterate. This makes it very difficult for us to change social classes. Actually even if you can read it is near impossible to go up in class. Down on the other hand is all too easy. I however am lucky. My father gave me this opportunity for a better life. The source of our poverty is that we are Kopts, not Muslin. It is nearly impossible for a non-muslin to make it in my country. Between the discrimination, and lack of job opportunities, and the enormous religious tax that puts us further into debt each year, Kopts only barely manage to survive in my country. Even more than this, we are poor because my grandfather was blind and could not work at all. We round a bend in the road. We will be there soon. I hope we can afford an inn. This air is freezing. I am used to the Arridi Peninsula and its deserts. Not this frigid weather. It is early afternoon. Baba says that once we reach the village I can explore it if I'd like. I think I would enjoy that. I hope some of the locals speak Arridi because I don't speak the common tongue. The path is getting wider. This suggests that we are getting close to the village now. I am going to ask Faba a question when Ali, that's our mule, makes a loud sound. He is a smart animal. He probably is trying to tell us something but I cannot figure out what. Suddenly I hear voices, speaking in what I would presume is the Araluen language, although I have never heard it before so it is hard to tell. I am about to say something to Baba about it when suddenly a man bursts out of the trees and on to the road, shouting. I have no idea what he is saying. The man is covered in dirt and grime. He has a long black beard and carries a sword. The weapon looks to be covered in rust, but it still appears very deadly. Seconds later more men, eleven of them burst out of the forest. Faba screams. They too are all armed. They carry a combination of swords, spears, daggers, and cudgels. I can't understand their shouting, but their intent is obvious. They mean to rob us of what little we do have, and then presumably they will try and kill us. I am scared. I feel guilty about my fear, but I can't stop it. The bandits start to encircle us. They continue shouting. Sometimes I think they're shouting at each other, and other times I think they are yelling at us. My Baba pulls out his dagger, holds it threateningly at the bandits. I wish I could do the same but I am too scared. I am a coward, I realize. I don't realize it now but there is nothing either of us, or both of us could do. We are tired. We are exhausted. We have no experience in fighting. We are defenseless. The mule charges one of them rears up and kicks him in the face, knocking him out. A man to the right of the one kicked wheels on the mule, but Ali is already back with us. I realize Ali plans on defending us. I always knew he was a good mule. One of the bandits charges out of the circle. He is running at my father. I want to scream out of fear and distress, but no sound comes out. Suddenly, mere feet from plunging his sword into my father, he falls to the ground lifeless. A black arrow is sticking out from his back. Now I do scream. I know we are all going to die. The bandits look around in startled confusion, puzzled by what has just happened. But before any of them can do anything, another of them falls over backwards, an arrow sticking out of his right eye socket, which knocks over the man standing behind him. Another falls down with an arrow in his throat. A fourth goes down with an arrow in his heart and blood spluttering out. Another goes down, an arrow in his thigh. He is bleeding profusely. The surviving bandits break and run. This all happens in under five seconds. Because it happens so quickly, I barely have time to register it. Suddenly one of the fleeing bandits (I think he is the one who was knocked over by his fallen friend) falls over with a knife embedded in his back. A lone figure riding on a pony trots out of the woods. He is carrying a strange looking bow, and is wearing a heavy leather jerkin. Hanging from his neck on a leather cord is a bronze Oakleaf pendent. He is wearing a long cloak that covers his entire body except in the front. It is the color of the leaves, and shimmers brown like them. The top of the cloak however was a combination of blue and white, just like the sky. I cannot see the rider's face because it is covered by a deep cowl. The rest of his face his covered in shadow. I stare at the man. I am terrified he will hurt us. My Baba as brave as ever glares daggers into the man, and growls "And who the hell are you?" And then the man dismounts his pony. He drops his cowl and my breath rushes out of me due to shock. I realize three things now. The man is a girl. And she is my age. And stunningly beautiful.

And then she says in flawless Arridan, "I'm a Sultana's Ranger. You're safe now."


	2. Chapter 2

_**The Spy Who Loved Me**_

_**Chapter 2: Maddie**_

**Maddie POV**

"I'm a Sultana's Ranger. You're safe now." I could see that they were scared and afraid, and most likely did not trust me at all. Not that I could blame them. Then I realized they probably had no idea what a Queen's Ranger was. My suspicion was confirmed by the reaction of blank stares with no comprehension mixed with fear and confusion that they gave me. So then I added "My name is Madelyn Altman, but you can call me Maddie." That they understood.

Then the father asked very brusquely "How do I know we can trust you."

My mind started racing, trying to think of a way that I could possibly reassure them. I could . . . No they wouldn't understand that, what about . . . no not that either. And then I remember something Will once told me about the arridi. He said 'an oath is a powerful thing to them, and an oath on God is even greater still. If you swear in God's name that you will or won't do something, they will believe you, because to break an oath on God is to die.'

And it tumbles out without me really even thinking about it, "I swear in Isa . . ." and then I realize they are most likely Muslin, and amend it to, "I swear in Allah's name, I will not hurt you, and that you are safe both from me and from others whenever I am nearby. Furthermore I swear this on my honor as a bearer of the Oakleaf." I add the last part gesturing to the pendant on my chest.

The father seemed to believe me, and appeared overcome with relief. Seeing this I asked a question of my own, "Where are you headed?"

"A place called, Wensley, I think it's called."

"Really? That's not far." I say. "In fact you're just a little under half a mile away from there. Come, I will take you there."

"Thank you." He said.

New Section

We start walking again, and I can't wait to get to the village. I wonder what it will be like. I hope the people will be kind and helpful. Suddenly I realize that the majority of people probably won't be able to talk to us. This upsets me a little. I wish others knew our language. I suppose we will have to learn theirs. "So how long do you plan on staying in Wensely?" The girl who called herself Maddie asks. My father says, "Actually, forever." The girl looks puzzled for a second and then seems to realize what he means. "Oh, your immigrants." Offensive. Baba answers, "As you can probably tell, we are very poor, and we have been for years, basically my whole life actually. Because of this, when my son was conceived," he gestures to me, "I made a promise to myself that I would find a way to bring us here where he could have a better life. I have spent the last 17 years working and saving away every last denarii, so that we could come here." The girl nods and then says, "I can't say I much relate to that background, but I can understand your decision." Then she holds out her hand to my father, before pulling it back, but he says "It's alright. We're Kopts." And then he extends his back and she shakes it. Then she says "Well let me be the first person to formally welcome you to Araluen." My father smiles and says "Thank you that means a lot to me." Then the girl asks "do you have enough gold for an inn?" Baba says "Perhaps, for one night yes. After that I doubt it." And then then the girl does something that shocks me. She reaches into her cloak and pulls out something shiny. "Here have these." She says. "It's not a loan. It's a gift, no repayment necessary." My father looks at the coins enviously but says "No, it wouldn't be right." To this the girl responds "Actually, it would be. They are mine to do with as I choose. And plus I have a lot more, and can replace them very easily." Baba is about to refuse again when suddenly he reaches forwards and grabs them, almost hungrily. "Once again, thanks." He says.

Her cowl is back covering her face, and suddenly I wish she would take it down again. She was very beautiful. Her eyes were blue, and her hair was a color that looked almost golden, but it had a hint of red mixed in. She was small, but by no means underweight, unlike my family. She is short, probably no more than five feet. Her hair appears to be long, but I cannot really tell due to her cloak. I really wish she would take down her hood. Suddenly I blurt out, "Why do you insist on wearing that cowl? It makes it hard to talk to you." Ali snorts like he thinks I'm being an idiot, and I worry he may be right. Suddenly I feel my face reddening out of embarrassment.

"Oh, sorry," she says, and takes it down revealing her face again. "I guess I just feel more comfortable if people can't see my face."

"Why?" I ask. "You're not ugly. In fact you're very pretty." Now we both blush, I think her even more than me.

"No, it's not that. I just don't like people to see what I look like."

"But why?" I ask.

"I just don't." she states and I can see that the matter is closed.

Suddenly she leans down to the Pony she is riding, and says something in what I presume is Araluen. I look at her quizzically.

Faba asks, "Were you just talking to your horse?"

Now Maddie turns beat red, and says in a resigned voice, "Yes." I start to giggle, and then Faba glare at me through her niqab and I suppress my laughter."

New Section: Maddie POV

"So Wensley is just around the corner, about a hundred feet from here." I said. "Seeing as you can't speak Araluen, and you don't seem to speak the common tongue either, you don't do you?" They shake their heads. "Thought so. Because of that I will get you set up at the inn."

"Thank you . . . what did you say your name was?" asks the father.

"Maddie," I answer.

"Well thank you, Maddie."

"And remember, if you ever need help, if you need anything, or if you feel your life is in danger, you can come to me or a man named Will Treaty for help."

"Who are you?" asks the father, a little intrigued and very confused sounding.

And his confused question confuses me. "I told you. I'm Ma . . ."

"No, not your name. Who are you? How does a girl your age learn to fight the way you do? How does anyone learn to fight the way you do for that matter? How do you have the money and authority to help us in the future? Why do you act like you've sworn an oath to protect us? That your honor bound to help us? Who are YOU?"

Finally I understand his question. And then I answer cryptically, "I'm a Ranger."

Then we turn the bend, and I repeat what I said earlier, "Welcome to Araluen. Welcome to your new home."

New Section

It's magnificent. The town is different from anything I have ever seen. I am used to the hustle and bustle of life in Soccoro, with tens of thousands of people, and new travelers every day. The buildings here are, taller, and more colorful. They are made of is it wood? Not mud like I am used too. The town looks small, dainty almost. It seems serene in a way. The town is by a lake, where I can see people fishing on its shore.

I see we are coming to a bridge, which crosses a river. It is made of wood too. I have never seen a bridge before, having never left Soccoro until a month ago. We walk over the bridge, and I am afraid that it might collapse underneath me. Maddie looks at me and notices the nervous look on my face. "What, never seen a bridge before?" she asks laughing.

My face turns red a little. "No." I say.

"Oh. Sorry, I didn't know." She says hastily.

"You'll find that there is a lot he hasn't seen before. Until a month ago, he had never left the city of Soccoro." Says Baba.

Now I am thoroughly embarrassed. "Baba, you didn't have to tell her that."

"No, it's alright." Says Maddie. "Many people in this town have never gone more than ten miles from where they were born either. I'm kind of an anomaly."

"How far have you traveled?" I ask curiously.

She pauses before saying, "Let me see, I've been to Gallica, Skandia, Celtica, Hibernia, Teutlandt, Toscana, Iberion, and . . . Arrida." She grins at me as she says that last one.

"I don't believe you." I say. "No one, not even the Sultan, or the Emrikir, has traveled that far afield." We are across the bridge now, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

"First of all," she says, "I am telling the truth," and then she adds, "and I bet you the Sultan and the Emrikir have traveled that far. My Fa. . ." she trails off nervously.

"Your fa, what?" I ask.

"Nothing." She says. "Never mind."

I feel slightly irritated but I decide to let it go, at least for now. Eventually we arrive at the inn. Maddie and Baba go in to get us a room. I follow. Faba stays outside with the mule. I notice that Maddie has pulled her cowl back over her face. I wonder why, she doesn't like showing her face. Once again I can't help but think that she is very pretty. And exotic. Her hair is light, not dark. I have never seen someone who didn't have pitch black hair before. Whats more her skin is lightly colored. I have never seen someone with skin lighter than an Arridi. Yes, she is very pretty. The inn we are at is very crowded, and everyone seems to be watching Maddie. I wonder why. They seem to be in awe of her, and to fear her in away. Even the innkeeper seems to be highly uncomfortable talking to her. Once again I wonder why.

Eventually Maddie walks back to where Baba and I are standing. "Okay," she says, "you've got a room on the second floor." Then she pauses before adding, "If you want you can have dinner with me. They are not serving tonight because it is Sunday."

I get excited upon hearing this. I would like to spend more time around this kind and beautiful girl, even if she was a bit odd. But that just added to the mystery surrounding her. But then Baba says "No, I don't think so. We have food with us that we can eat, and we shouldn't impose on you anymore. You have already spent a lot of your day looking after us."

"Please, Baba!" It just bursts out before I can control it. "I don't want to spend another night eating stale bread." And then I lean in to his ear and whisper, "Also this girl seems really kind. . . and she's very pretty . . . and . . . I've never met a girl before . . . and I'd like to know more about her." My father chuckles understanding the implications behind my words fat better than I did at the time. I don't think the girl here's me, but she does. We will have been married for many years before I realize that Rangers have very, very good hearing.

My father probably thinking that I was being cute says, "Oh alright. Just don't get up to any funny business."

I blush at this, and I expect that she was to underneath her cowl. "Don't worry." She says. "I would never do anything like that. Will would kill me if he found out. Plus we will have a chaperon."

"Who?" asks Baba.

"My pony." She says. I get the strange feeling that she isn't joking.

"Thanks so much Baba!" I say. "Thanks Maddie!"

"No problem." She says. "It's a little lonely around the cabin without Will around."

"How do I get to where you live?" I ask.

"Go back the way you were coming into town. Across the bridge and around the first bend in the road. Then continue down the road about 100 feet and there will be a little side road. It is only about 100 feet long, and once you get to the end of it you will see a little cabin, a workshop and a stables. That is where I live. Here let me draw you a map." She says.

New Section

It is around o'clock in the evening now and I sit on the bench on my veranda waiting for the boy to arrive. I wonder what Dad and Will would think if they knew I was having a boy over by myself. Dad would most likely be horrified, and Will would kill me, if he found out I'd had anyone, even a girl, over without his permission. But this boy will need someone to be his friend, especially because he doesn't speak Araluen, and because, most people don't like foreigners. Especially not poor foreigners. They believe they destroy our culture and increase their tax burden, because under our laws foreigners can't be taxed until they gain citizenship. Yes, he needs friends. Life will be hard for him over here, and he and his family are going to need a support group. But still I resolve to never under any circumstances let Will know about this evening. I continue to wait.


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors note: Mustafa is _NOT_ experiencing love at first sight. That doesn't exist. What he is experiencing is infatuation at first sight and THAT is _VERY REAL._ **

I arrive at the cabin around 6:15 in the evening. I found it exactly where she said it would be. The building is small, and rustic looking. Like the buildings in the village it is made of wood, and has a triangular roof. The cabin has a small verandah in front of it, and the Verandah has two benches on it. The cabin also has a stable associated with it, a workshop, a warehouse and what appears to be an archery range. I wonder why Maddie lives so far removed from town like this. As I walk up the path towards the house, I hear a dog barking. Probably alerting Maddie that someone is coming I suppose. Her pony also lets out a whinny.

I am very excited to have dinner with her, and I look forwards to getting to know her better. As I told my father she seems like a very kind people, and I have never known a girl before. In my country a boy and a girl talking borders on taboo. What's more, Maddie seems very mysterious and I have many questions I would like to ask her.

I am walking up the dirt path, and I about five feet from the verandah when suddenly, Maddie materializes in front of me and I scream and my pulse increases. It takes me a few seconds to realize that it is just Maddie. "How, What, How!" I stammer. After a few seconds I realize that she is laughing.

"Oh, sorry," she says grinning, "I just couldn't resist doing that! Your face was priceless! Please come in." She waves her hand at the door and pulls it open.

I feeling very confused ask her "How did you do that? One second no one was there and suddenly you just materialized!"

"Lots of practice." She says, and she pulls down the cowl of her cloak. "Plus the cloak helps." And then she whisks me through the door, and I am in the house. And then Maddie discards her cloak, and for the first time I see her figure. It is very full and I find this appealing, especially her curves. I realize that she is actually very small. My previous estimation of her height being 5 feet I now realize is wrong. She probably more like 4 foot 10 inches. I expect she weighs about 105 pounds. I suddenly realize I am staring at her, and feel a little embarrassed, fortunately I don't think she noticed.

The inside of the cabin is small and it has a cozy, benevolent feel to it. On one side of the room is a table with a stack of papers and folders all marked with an Oakleaf insignia. By the table are two chairs. There is also a fireplace on the other side of the room, and a fire is already going.

Suddenly Maddie says, "Whenever you're ready to eat."

"I'm ready now," I say.

Maddie gestures at the table for me to sit down. She picks up the papers and moves them to the other side of the room. Then she brings over to platters of food. It smells very good and I am curious to know what it is, because I have never seen anything like it. I take a bite and say, "This is very good. How did you make it?"

Maddie smiles at me in the dark and says, "Actually Jenny made it."

"Who is Jenny?"

"An old friend, and one of the best cooks in Araluen. She has a restaurant in the village."

I just nod at this and say, "Tell her thank you. This is very good."

"I will," she tells me, before saying, "So can you tell me a bit more about yourself."

"Sure. Like my father said, we have been poor my whole life, and we have never had a home. We have always lived on the streets." Maddie gasps at that.

"Oh, that's terrible!" she exclaims. "Where is the pillar of alms going?"

"To the Muslins." I say simply. And then I continued, "And I have never had a friend before."

Now Maddie looks aghast, "What? But you seem kind."

"It's because I am a kopt," I say. "Virtually everyone in Soccoro is Muslin, and they look down on Christians. The few other Kopts there are I never met, or if I did I never knew it. Unlike in Al-Shabah there are not enough Kopts in the city to form a community." Then I continue on, "We rarely had enough to eat. Generally I had something every day, but I was constantly hungry. In fact this is probably the first time I have ever sat down ate something that would qualify as a genuine meal. The Royal family pay no interest in us, other than taxing us. And despite having no money, we have to pay a higher tax than wealthy landowners and businessman. We're Kopts, and because of this all our taxes are increased five times, and we have an additional tax as well. In fact the royal family doesn't care about the poor in general, even though as Muslins they are supposed to. The Royal family takes everything that is ours, and gives nothing back."

At that last comment Maddie hangs her head, and says, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." I have no idea why she seems to be blaming herself, but it's obvious based on her expression and the tears forming in her eyes that she does.

"It's alright." I say. "It's not your fault."

"I know." She says softly, but she seems to disagree.

Then I add, "I hope the Royal Family of Araluen is better than that."

"I do too," she says softly. I have no idea what is troubling her so much, but I can see that this conversation is, so I change the subject, "So you keep saying you're a ranger, but what exactly is that. You keep acting like everything about you is related to that fact."

She looks up as I say that, and then she says, "First of all you should know, when I said I was a ranger, technically I was exaggerating. I am actually an apprentice ranger. I have about two years left before I become full-fledged Ranger."

"Oh, that makes sense, based on your age. But what exactly are rangers?"

"Well," she starts, "We're a lot of things. Spies, Assassins, Saboteurs, tacticians, an Elite reconnaissance Force . . . We're an intelligence agency. Essentially the Ranger Corps are the eyes and ears of the kingdom, and our authority comes directly from the Sultana herself. In fact a full-fledged ranger is subject to no authority other than the Sultana, and our hierarchy. Being a ranger is one of the highest offices in the kingdom. In fact rangers outrank everybody, but the Sultana, including Royal emiresses," she smirks ever so slightly as she says that last bit"

"So basically," I say, "You're super dangerous and super tough. Cool!"

Maddie giggles at my comment before saying, "I guess so. By the way, what time do you have to be home?"

"By midnight." I say. "So we have like five hours."

"Good," Maddie says smiling. "I am enjoying having company. By the way, that trick I played on you earlier, that's a ranger thing. We are masters of unseen movement."

"I can tell," I say grinning.

"Want some wine?" she asks, getting up to get some for herself.

"No thank you," I say. "Arridi don't drink alchohol."

"Oh, right." She says. "Want some coffee instead?"

"Sure," I say, "I've never had coffee before."

"What?" she exclaims. "You're from Arrida!"

"And we have never been able to afford it." I say.

"That's just wrong, from a Rangers perspective," she says.

"Why?" I ask.

"Drinking Coffee is a required part of being a Ranger." After saying this she laughs and I know she is joking, but I wonder if there might be a grain of truth to what she says, based on her expression. Maddie sets some coffee on to boil. Her golden hair is magnificent in the quickly fading light. It glows like the Arridan sun.

I change the subject. "So, you seem to be an expert shot with that bow of yours. How'd you get to be so good?"

She looks at me, her eyes twinkling. "Practice," she says. "Lots and lots of practice."

"Do you think that you could teach me sometime?" I ask.

"Maybe." She says. "That's actually not a bad idea. If you learn to shoot, then you can hunt, and that is one more way to support your family. But not tonight. It would be stupid to start when it is super dark outside."

The evening wears on, and I can't help but think that she is very kind, and funny, and beautiful. When she laughs, it makes me laugh. And every time she smiles it makes all the stress of my life, my life of poverty just melt away. Her smile is enchanting in a way. It draws me in, and makes me want to be near her forever. When she talks I listen to every word she says, somehow lost in her beauty. She seems so caring, like all the creatures of the world from the smallest ant, to the greatest Sultan are important to her. She seems . . . perfect.

Eventually it is time for me to go home, and she says "We should hang out again sometime. I enjoyed talking to you. You're a lot of fun to be around."

"Thanks," I said, "and I would love to hang out again sometime."

"Good," comes the simple one word reply. "I hope it doesn't embarrass you." She says, "but I am going to walk you home, to make sure you get there safely."

"I'm totally fine with that." I say.

"Oh, by the way," she says, "I still don't know your name."

"Mustafa." I tell her.

**New section: Maddie POV**

I lay awake that night thinking about my most unusual day. Mustafa was a lot of fun, and he was very kind. Some of the things he said about his life back in Soccoro shocked and horrified me. I still can't get what he said about the Royalty in his country. I can't help but wonder if I have somehow contributed, to someone going hungry or suffering through extreme poverty. I shudder at the thought. I hope not. Then I think back to the rest of our evening. Mustafa and I had a lot of fun. I can tell we are going to become good friends. I feel sorry for the boy having never had a friend. As a princess and later a Ranger, I have never had many friends my age, but even still I have always had people outside of my immediate family who cared about me. A great deal actually. And SOME of them WERE my age. It is also blatantly obvious that he has an infatuation with me. I feel sorry for him that I don't reciprocate these feeling. Not guilty, just sorry for him. It's not that I could never like him back in a romantic way but I just met him. I hope I don't upset him by this. I go to sleep resolving to be the best friend to Mustafa, that I can possibly be.

**Repeat Authors note: Mustafa is _NOT_ experiencing love at first sight. That doesn't exist. What he is experiencing is infatuation at first sight and THAT is _VERY REAL._ **


End file.
